Going Hatch Test Driving On Saturday!

"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
08/26/2015 at 21:29 • Filed to: Car Buying, Test Drives

After having driven the Honda Fit (and liking it), I’ve decided to go back-to-back test driving this Saturday with a bunch of other hatches to see who’ll win as my next car. Here’s the lineup:

Subaru Impreza 5-Door Sport

Mazda3 Sport GS

VW Golf Comfortline

Honda Fit EX

Anyone want to take bets on which will win? I’m looking at hatchbacks (clearly) under $30k all in; should I be testing anything else?

DISCUSSION (46)

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 21:32

Impreza Sport is very nice. Probably the roomiest of the bunch. Not very powerful but it’s a nice car.

bob and john > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 21:32

can you swing the golf with a TDI? its by far and away the best motor bar the GTI/R engine

TheOnelectronic > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 21:32

No Focus ST love?

spanfucker retire bitch > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 21:33

Unless you have to deal with several feet of snow at a time and want the orgasmic grip of AWD + Snow Tires, I think you’ll go with the Mazda3.

dogisbadob > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 21:34

Kinja'd!!!

it would look even cooler with white wheels :)

jjhats > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 21:36

If 30k all in is your price you can swing a tdi or a gti. You should test drive the focus and fiesta as well

dogisbadob > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 21:37

The Fit s the most awesome of the cars you listed.

Other good choices include the Focus and Fiesta ST (or even non-ST). You should also consider the Sonic because you can get it in white with white wheels, or you could get a blue car with a red interior; both combos are awesome.

If you’re crazy enough to say you can live without a sunroof, then the Yaris is a great choice as well.

smobgirl > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/26/2015 at 21:37

Funny, I loathed it on the test drive. But mostly - I think - because there was just no way I could set it up to feel comfortable. I have pretty long legs but to reach the pedals on an auto the steering wheel was already in my chest. I imagine a manual would’ve been even worse. Maybe if you're a guy and really tall it's better?

OPPOsaurus WRX > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 21:38

A 2014 wrx hatch.

jkm7680 > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 21:38

I’ve sat in a few of those.

I’d say that the Golf and the Mazda are the best choices out of that bunch.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > smobgirl
08/26/2015 at 21:40

Yeah, I’m decently tall so I’m further away from the steering wheel. My mom seems to like her Impreza sedan though, and she’s about a foot shorter than I am.

Spaceball-Two > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 21:45

The Subie is great but really under powered. The Mazda is really really nice.

Long Live the Longdoor > dogisbadob
08/26/2015 at 22:00

Thanks for your suggestions! I intend to test drive the new Focus and but for some reason the FiST is unavailable for test drive at all of my local dealers and they don’t know when they’ll get one in to do so... customer service at its finest...

I dig the Yaris, but don’t want to skimp on the sunroof. The Sonic isn’t half bad, but the last two cars I’ve bought were Chevy’s and I’m looking for something different.

Long Live the Longdoor > Spaceball-Two
08/26/2015 at 22:02

Ya, that’s what I’m worried about. When my wife bought her Forester, we test drove a XV Crosstrek and were underwhelmed by its performance. I’m curious to see how the Mazda does.

Long Live the Longdoor > dogisbadob
08/26/2015 at 22:02

White Hondas with white wheels are dope!

Long Live the Longdoor > TheOnelectronic
08/26/2015 at 22:06

Love perhaps, bunch not so much with my wallet. FoST is ~$35k all-in in Canada :(

TheOnelectronic > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 22:09

Ah, I thought those prices seemed high. Ah well. Good luck with your search! (my vote’s on the Mazda)

Long Live the Longdoor > dogisbadob
08/26/2015 at 22:10

Also, I really dig the Fit, it’s even more refined that the last gen, the seats are comfy, the CVT was surprisingly good (there’s a 2-3 month wait time before I could even test drive a manual!) and it’s the cheapest on my list to boot.

handsoff > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 22:11

My SIL just did this, both new and used. She narrowed it down to the Mazda3 or the Golf, and is currently closing the deal on a 2013 4dr TDI. Manuel of course

Long Live the Longdoor > TheOnelectronic
08/26/2015 at 22:12

Thanks, we’ll see who wins (and I’ll post the winner on Oppo, of course).

handsoff > handsoff
08/26/2015 at 22:12

I would’ve gone Mazda, as would my wife though

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 22:13

Where do you live?

The Impreza is amazing because AWD. You can’t get any other small hatch with it. Not the best interior but that AWD is an awesome deal breaker. Find a leftover 15 And get crazy deals

Spaceball-Two > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 22:16

The great thing about the Mazda is that you don’t need all the bells and whistles. Even just a bit above base is a super solid car.

Long Live the Longdoor > handsoff
08/26/2015 at 22:20

Cool! I’m pretty excited, I’ve been looking forward to driving these car things I’ve been reading so much about! For the record though, this’ll be my third time test driving the Mazda3 (the first two were the first two generations) and I passed over it the first two times; so we’ll see if it’s a winner this time.

dogisbadob > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 22:23

And of course, you can’t forget it has VTEC! :p

dogisbadob > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 22:25

You’re Canadian?

In that case, I’d suggest a CPO B-class, because they’re awesome as fuck. Is the Micra available with a sunroof?

Long Live the Longdoor > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
08/26/2015 at 22:26

Southern Ontario (Canada). We never used to get that much snow, but our winters seem to be getting worst and worst; nothing snow tires can’t fix but it’s still in the back of my mind.

I can indeed get a pretty solid deal on a leftover 2015; couple that with the fact that I get a financing rate reduction because we already own a Subaru (Forester) and I have a decent rapport with the sales guy and it’d be a pretty solid buy. I’m just a little worried it’ll be kind of anemic in the powertrain department.

Long Live the Longdoor > Spaceball-Two
08/26/2015 at 22:27

From what I’ve read, that seems to be the case; this should be fun :)

Long Live the Longdoor > dogisbadob
08/26/2015 at 22:28

VTEC, YO! Plus a 6800RPM redline! Take that, most other economy cars redlines!

Long Live the Longdoor > dogisbadob
08/26/2015 at 22:32

I’m looking to keep this for a long time and I’m not sure I’m prepared to grab my ankles when the CPO warranty ends lol. They are pretty awesome though; I’ve sat in one at the autoshow.

Also, I just checked on the Micra and that is a negative; no hole in the roof for the Micra :(

swansong, rockin' the wagons > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 22:33

The new Mazda3 is seriously impressive. The base 2.0 is nice, but the 2.5 with all the bells and whistles is way above its competetion. One issue is that it also gets pricy, Focus ST territory here in the states.

dogisbadob > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 22:37

It looks like you might be able to afford a Rondo or 5 with a funroof :)

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 22:40

If your credit is decent, at least down by me in Florida, they have 0% for 48 months right now on them which can be appealing.

Ive only driven a newer Forester and found it to be lacking a bit of power.

I really love how the Golf looks and its a great drive.

The fit is surprisingly peppy and practical but i personally am not the biggest fan of the styling.

Long Live the Longdoor > dogisbadob
08/26/2015 at 22:42

I actually didn’t mind the Rondo. I had it as a rental when I was in Nova Scotia for a week; it was the 6 seater and we stuck 5 adults in it an toured are the hilly terrain all week. It was good fun, but goddamn was it ever slow! Too bad the don’t offer it with a V6 anymore.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 23:09

The mazda is very nice, the Impreza is like an AWD carolla. Can’t speak for the Golf, I have not been impressed with VW offerings as of late. The fit is really nice too, but I think the Mazda will feel like a higher class car.

Long Live the Longdoor > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/26/2015 at 23:32

I’m inclined to agree, though I imagine the question will become whether the Mazda’s higher class price is justifiable over the Fit.

DasWauto > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 23:33

I played the same game (hatchback, southern Ontario) as you last year and ended up with a Golf Trendline. I’ll admit that I didn’t try the Fit, I assumed it to be too small (I’m tall) and too slow, same with the Versa.

I liked the impreza but it was underpowered. If I hadn’t gotten the Golf, I’d probably have the Mazda3. I’d say the Golf is the most refined (comfort, roadnoise) and has the most powerful drivetrain of the bunch while the Mazda steers and handles a bit better.

handsoff > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 23:34

IMO, it’s by far the best yet. World class car!

handsoff > handsoff
08/26/2015 at 23:35

And we just talked my MIL into a new Fit. It's an excellent car, but my hard-earned cash would still be going to Mazda

wafflesnfalafel > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 23:35

I’ve sat in all, driven all but the Golf. I’d go with subie if you need awd, the mazda if you don’t. The Fit is good for shorter folks that do more urban driving.

dogisbadob > Long Live the Longdoor
08/26/2015 at 23:48

Too bad they don’t offer it down here anymore! I cn do without the V6 because transverse V6 engines are evil as fuck, but the good news is that you can get a manual Rondo :)

boxrocket > Long Live the Longdoor
08/27/2015 at 00:06

Fiesta ST, Focus ST, Mazda CX-3 and CX-5 (technically hatchbacks...), three-to-five Suzuki SX4s, C-Max Energi (torque!) and Focus Electric, Nissan Leaf (they’re surprisingly livable).

Test everything, it's worth it for such an expensive purchase.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Long Live the Longdoor
08/27/2015 at 02:23

I say get a new mazda 3. I’ve hard nothing but good about them

 V8 Rustler > Long Live the Longdoor
08/27/2015 at 04:38

Subaru Impreza because of AWD and boxer. All of the other cars were made as cheap as possible in their drivetrain, but not the Impreza.

Longitudinal Boxer Engine + Symmetrical AWD = Win

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Long Live the Longdoor
08/27/2015 at 07:30

I love the Fit (and the magic seats), but it was just a little too small for me, and that’s why I ended up with a Civic.

As for what else to consider, what about the Veloster Turbo, or the Kia Rio 5? Those should fit in your budget.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Long Live the Longdoor
08/27/2015 at 07:45

If you are planning to run the gamut, you might as well drive the Hyundai Elantra GT and the Kia Forte 5 (2015).

Kinja'd!!!